"Something's not right!"
Wang Chong shook his head and suddenly raised his head to look at his palms. His palms were fair and slender, and the fine lines on the back of his hands were clearly visible and lifelike. Through his fingertips, Wang Chong could even feel the cool air in the room, as well as the feeling of air flowing through his fingers.
That feeling was too real, too subtle, and completely not something that could be felt in a dream.
And as his gaze swept across the fingernails, Wang Chong could clearly see the dim white light reflected by the fingernails in the room. Everything was so detailed, so real.
"How could this be?"
Wang Chong was stunned, and his mind instantly went blank.
It was impossible to feel touch in a dream, and it was even more impossible to feel such delicate warmth and detail. For a moment, Wang Chong's mind was also in a mess.
Reality and illusion, the past and the present, all intertwined together. He had originally firmly believed in his experience in the northwest.
But now, all these beliefs were suddenly shaken.
Wang Chong suddenly did not dare to be so sure.
What made him even more uneasy was that his whole body was aching, and the chaotic meridians in his body were extremely similar to the situation when he had gone berserk in the study. Could it be that the so-called trip to the northwest was actually just an illusion after he went berserk? After he fainted in the study, he was not forcefully brought to the northwest by his master?
In fact, all of this was his illusion, his dream.
All these thoughts flashed through his mind, and Wang Chong's mind was suddenly in a mess.
Everything in front of him made it impossible for him to distinguish reality from illusion.
"You've just woken up, rest well. Auntie, Your Highness, let's withdraw first and let him rest for a while. "
Xu Yi-qin's considerate voice suddenly sounded in his ear.
The group of people quickly left the room and went out.
The room quickly quieted down. Wang Chong sat alone on the bed, but his heart could not calm down for a long time.
"What is going on here?"
Wang Chong muttered to himself.
He could feel the unique texture of the black sandalwood under his body, and he could smell that fragrance. If it was really a dream, it couldn't be that realistic.
"Was I really unconscious for seven days and seven nights?"
Wang Chong walked to the window. His heart was in turmoil. Rays of sunlight shone through the cracks of the window and fell on Wang Chong's body. The warm feeling was so real that Wang Chong couldn't say a word.
Pushing open the door, Wang Chong walked out. In front of him was a familiar garden, a pond, and rows upon rows of the Wang Clan's mansions.
Wang Chong could even see the patterns of flowers and birds on the glazed tiles, as well as a chirping bird on the roof.
When Wang Chong recalled his trip to the northwest, he found that the originally clear memories suddenly became blurry, as if it was really a dream.
"Maybe it really was a dream!"
A thought flashed through Wang Chong's mind, and he slowly accepted his situation.
Thudthudthud!
As he was thinking, fierce knocking came from the distance, and soon, Wang Chong heard the furious voices of Xu Keyi and the others.
"Bastard! Who allowed you to come here! Get out of here! "
"Heh, those who come are guests. I heard that the King of Foreign Lands is sick and has been unconscious all this time. When our Young Master heard this, he specially sent a gift. The mighty King of Foreign Lands' residence shouldn't be so stingy, right?"
Very soon, a voice came from outside the courtyard walls. It sounded like it was full of ridicule and vaguely gave off a feeling that it harbored ill intentions.
"Scram! Don't go too far! So what if your Confucian Sect is in power? If not for our Highness, do you think your Confucian Sect could have stood out? "
"Our Highness does not welcome people like you!"
Another furious voice came from the distance, Chen Bin also angrily shouting.
A few servants and maids quickly joined in, and the entrance to the Wang Clan Residence was abuzz.
"Stop!"
At this moment, a voice interrupted the crowd.
At the gate of the Wang Clan Residence, Xu Keyi, Chen Bin, and the many guards of the Wang Clan had all gathered together, all of them staring in indignation at the figure standing outside the gate.
Hearing the noise behind them, they turned their heads, and when they saw that familiar figure, they were all stunned.
"Milord!"
Everyone lowered their heads and saw that at some point, Wang Chong had walked up behind them.
"All of you, withdraw!"
Wang Chong said. His face was slightly pale and he seemed somewhat weak.
Upon hearing Wang Chong's words, everyone bowed and made way for Wang Chong.
"Heh, Your Highness, long time no see!"
At almost the same time, that mocking and ill-intentioned voice that Wang Chong had heard spoke once more.
"Everyone says that Your Highness has been unconscious for seven days and nights, and that your heart is filled with depression that is difficult to dispel. I didn't think that the legend was false. It turns out that Your Highness has already woken up!"
"It's you!"
Wang Chong turned his head and looked in the direction of the voice, only to see several figures standing outside the gate of the Wang Clan Residence. The person in the lead was dressed in a long black robe, his long hair draped over his shoulders. His eyes were fixed on Wang Chong, giving him an unruly and provocative look.
Wang Chong had no impression of this person's appearance, but Wang Chong remembered his aura very clearly. It was the Sword Demon who had performed the sword dance at the Hundred Victories Sacrificial Ceremony in the Drunken Moon Pavilion.
Behind him was a man and a woman, both experts of the Confucian Sect, holding a brocade box. It was obviously the gift he had mentioned.
"Impudent! Don't go too far! "
Xu Keyi, Chen Bin, and the others behind Wang Chong bellowed angrily at the Sword Demon's words. They were so enraged that they almost made a move.
What gift? They were just here to find out the truth, to provoke Wang Chong. If not for them, why would His Highness vomit blood?
"Enough!"
Wang Chong suddenly spoke up. He waved his hand to stop the crowd, then turned to the Sword Demon.
"Go back and tell your young master that this king has accepted his gift. Tell him that this king thanks him for his good intentions! "
Wang Chong's expression was calm, as if he wasn't angry in the slightest. The Sword Demon and the others were dumbfounded by these words.
Wang Chong's reaction was completely different from what they had expected, but the Sword Demon quickly reacted.
"Haha, Your Highness is truly magnanimous. It seems that Your Highness has truly let go of the matter of the prefectural army. Since that's the case, this one will take his leave!"
The Sword Demon bowed slightly.
"The prefectural army?"
Wang Chong raised an eyebrow at the Sword Demon's words.
"What? Your Highness still doesn't know? "
The Sword Demon had already turned around to leave, but when he heard those words, he stopped and looked at Xu Keyi and the others behind Wang Chong.
"What? They still haven't told Your Highness? "
Wang Chong raised an eyebrow, immediately understanding something. He turned back to look at Xu Keyi and the others. In an instant, their expressions changed and they all lowered their heads.
Outside the gate, the Sword Demon immediately understood what was going on.
"So they're still hiding it from Your Highness. Since that's the case, this one won't say anything more. I'll take my leave!"
The Sword Ghost smiled slightly, a strange smile appearing on his face. He quickly led everyone away.
… …
"What's going on?"
In the study, Wang Chong suddenly asked as he looked at the crowd before him.
"This …"
Xu Keyi and Chen Bin looked at each other hesitantly, but under Wang Chong's coercion, they still spoke up.
"In truth, many things happened while Your Highness was unconscious. Without Your Highness to contend with them, the Confucian Sect and the First Prince took complete control of the court. In addition, Your Highness vomited blood and was unconscious for seven days and seven nights. The King of Song and the others were all worried about Your Highness's injuries.
"Without Your Highness's advice, the Confucian Sect colluded with the First Prince and finally succeeded in dissolving the prefectural armies. Just a few days ago, the Imperial Court completed the disbandment of the prefectural armies and destroyed all the lists. In the future, it will be impossible to recall them again.
"That's not all. The Confucian Sect, the First Prince, the prime minister, and King Qi joined forces to strip the King of Song of his military authority and take back his authority in the Bureau of Military Personnel.
"In addition, the Confucian Sect dispatched a large number of Confucian supervisors to the army, weakening the military to the extreme. Now, almost all of the military is under the Confucian Sect's control."
… …
One after another, the crowd slowly recounted the problems that had occurred while Wang Chong was unconscious.
Even though he had been enlightened by the seniors in the underground stone room and had become much more accepting of the situation, as he listened to their reports, Wang Chong still felt a stabbing pain in his heart.
Although he said that he was relieved, he had worked so hard for so long, invested so much blood, and sacrificed so many soldiers. In the end, all of this had been destroyed. How could he possibly accept this?
Moreover, this conflict between the militarists and the Confucians concerned the continuity of the Central Plains, as well as the survival of all the people in the world.
"All of you, leave! I want to be alone for a while. "
Wang Chong suddenly waved his hand.
"Yes! Milord! "
A trace of reluctance flashed through the eyes of Xu Keyi and the others, and they quickly withdrew.
As for Wang Chong, he stood there motionless for a very, very long time. In the end, Wang Chong couldn't help but let out a long sigh.
Pushing open the door, Wang Chong walked out of the study, past the garden pond, and out the main gate. Even though some maids and servants saw Wang Chong, no one dared to stop him.
In this muddle-headed state, thousands of thoughts flashed through his mind, but also like he wasn't thinking about anything at all. By the time Wang Chong came to his senses, he was on a bustling street.
As far as the eye could see, there were peddlers selling rouge and face powder, merchants who were in a hurry, and butchers who were hawking loudly in their stalls.
But in this bustling crowd, Wang Chong saw many unique figures. They had large beards and wore long robes. All of them had hawkish eyes and deep noses, and they all had thick accents from foreign lands.
The Hu!
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